Railroad-chair spike



(No Modl.) y A. J. MOXHAM.

RAILRQAD CHAIR SPIKE.. No. 358,122. Patented Fe'bLZZ, 1887.A

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I fm/enordorney v UNITED STATES PATENT QEEICE.

ARTHUR JMOXHAM, OF JOHNSTOVVN, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILROAD-CHAIR SPIKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 358,122. dated February 22, 1887.

Application led November 15, 1886. Serial No. 218,981.

To @ZZ whom, t may concern.-`

Beit known that I, ARTHUR J. MoxHAM, of Johnstown, in the county of Cambria and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Railroad-Chair Spike, which invention is fully set forth and illustrated in the following specification and accompanying drawings.

The object of this invention is to provide a spike which shall be easily and quickly withdrawn after having been driven.

The invention consists of a spike having a certain form of head, hereinafter particularly described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l shows in perspective a chair and rail secured to a cross-tie by means of the spikes forming the subject of this invention, showing also the end of a claw-bar engaged with the head of a spike partially withdrawn by means of said bar. Fig. 2 shows in two views the complete form or shape of such spikes, including the form of special head employed.

In said figures, the letter A indicates a rail secured in a chair, B, which chair is secured to the cross-tie T by the spikes C.

The letter D indicates a claw-bar,shown engaged with the head of one of said spikes O.

E indicates the head of the spike; c, offsets or shoulders under the head E, and athe body of the spike.

It is quite obvious that this spike is intended to be used, as shown in the drawings, with its head entirely exposed above thesurface of the chair, the offsets or square shoulders c c effectually securing this result. The head E is beveled outward on all four sides, being smaller, as shown, at or near the points c c than on top at E, Fig. 2.

By reason of the construction above described, the spike, when driven home, holds the chairs firmly under the shoulders cc,which shoulders may either extend all around all four sides or only on two sides of the spike, as may (No model.)

be preferred. The bevel-head above described is so shaped that the claw-bar D can readily be engaged with it and used for drawing the spike to remove the chair or track by using the said bar like a pinch-bar lever or the claw ofa claw-hammer.77 A

Practice in track-work has demonstrated that the ordinary form of spike heretofore used cannot be readily withdrawn when driven home, the form of head left exposed being in sufficient and of wrong shape to be engaged by a claw-bar. With such spikes, in` use, it becomes necessary, in order to loosen and draw them, to do so by means of the chair itself through which theypass; but as such chairs are under and locked into and against the heavy track-rails, the chairs themselves are frequently destroyed by the tools used in such attempts. Such method of withdrawing the spikes has also been found extremely tedious and difficult in operation, the delay incurred being costly and vexatious in constructing or reconstructing the track; but the spike forming the subject of this invention obviates all these difficulties and objections, both spikes and chairs being quickly and easily removed without danger of injury to the chairs.

Having thus fully described my said railroadchair spikes, as of my invention Iclaim As a new article of manufacture, a railroadchair spike having a rectangular iiat head with deep prismoidal or beveled sides and offset from its body,so as to leave the entire depth of the head exposed above the chair when the spike is driven home,whereby a deep and efflcient wedge-shaped head is provi ded for receiving and retaining the claw of an extracting tool, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

ARTHUR J. MOXHAM.

Vitnesses:

W. E. HooPEs, C. R. POWELL. 

